Beth gets to be an Archivist!

Yes, my skills will not completely wilt while I’m in Rwanda. The Rotary Club has a collection of materials relating to the Kigali Public Library and Gwenn and I will be processing and moving these over to the Library for storage.

A local textile company, Utexrwa, provided a room for the Rotary to store their records. In the same room, are stored many of the company’s records. So, first I need a search and divide (not destroy!) mission to separate the two. Below are views of the room when I began.

As I assured Jenn, these are *not* the worst conditions I’ve faced. (Jill and Pam, two words: Carriage House! I could also add: unidentified, mummified, large rodent; droppings of various kinds; and the need for serious fumigation!) Basically, it was dusty and dirty; conditions not unknown to all archivists.

The materials were fairly easily sorted into series (for non-archivists: a grouping of records of similar origin or type of document) and only a portion needed serious arrangement. The big issue here in Rwanda is locating folders and boxes. We brought folders with us, but weren’t thinking globally – folks here use A4 paper which is a bit larger than the standard 8 ½ x 11 document. Instead of proper archival boxes, I’d be happy with a plastic tub with a sealable lid.

During the rooting phase I located several interesting items which I shared last night with the Rotary Club. First off, is the Kigali Public Library pin (see below). I’m not sure what level donor you must be to receive one, but if anyone is interested, let me know. Then there was an envelope containing money from various countries (picture of a few below). Folks at the club suspect that came from the donation box at the airport which makes sense.

All and all it is a nice project to take on to keep my hand in the business.

And now the answers to the quizzo questions from my last post:

The three words are: tremendous, stupendous, and horrendous. My kudos to Gail L. who responded almost immediately with the correct answer. She was also kind enough to say that two of the three words applied to my blog. (Now Gail I’m assuming you did *not* mean horrendous!)

A “google” is a number followed by 100 zeros.

Next: Beth goes shopping!

Pictures

Ah, the joy of the Internet.  When it works it is wonderful, when you can’t connect – it’s horrible!  So I apologize for the lack of posts and emails lately.  The project started off with a bang, so we've been keeping pretty busy.  I haven't had either the time, or frankly, the connectivity to post.  Plus, uploading speed here is at the modem rate, so everything takes a bit of time.  While the staff at the Park View have been working long hours on the Internet connection, we decided to invest in data sticks for a stronger and more consistent connection.  Anyway, today I'll highlight a few pictures I thought you'd enjoy.

This bird this is the Grey Crowned Crane which we “met” at the Laico Umubano Hotel.  The Laico is one of the nicer hotels in Kigali and where the Rotary Club (which helped establish the library and funded Marty’s Fulbright) meets each Wednesday.  These cranes where just wandering around the grounds and they had no problem with me coming in close to take a picture.  In fact, I'd swear he was posing for me. We attended the club meeting on Wednesday night (the 8th) where Marty made a presentation about the library project.  The hotel also houses a *wonderful* French bakery which leads me to the local currency.

Like many other countries, Rwanda's francs are quite colorful with images of the local flora and faunda.  More people speak French here than I thought would (several guidebooks and web sites said English was more prevelant) and I'm pleased to report that I still remember my French numbers, though it does take me a bit of time to translate!  I'm so pleased I thought to bring my French/English dictionary.

To the left is Marty working hard at our temporary location earlier this week, the Burbon Cafe.  After a a few days, the staff knew us by sight.  It's a big meeting place, we've seen several groups there and have held meetings there ourselves.   

And finally here is the greatest find so far, at least according to Marty: Coke Zero.  Did I mention these came from Egypt - hence the Arabic on the can.  Plus, when was the last time you saw a pop top?  Those things are wicked sharp. 

More posts soon, about the library and a few other odds and ends including my attempt to cook in our apartment.  So you know, I did *not* blow anything up, but I think we'll be eating out more than I'll be cooking! 

Welcome!

Welcome to “A Blog Called Rwanda” where you can follow us during our six week stay in Kigali, Rwanda as we help establish the Kigali Public Library.  The Library is a coordinated effort among several groups: the Rotary Club of Kigali-Virunga; the American Friends of the Kigali Public Library (AFKPL), established in Washington, DC, in 2001; Marshall Scholars for the Kigali Public Library (MSKPL), established in Oxford, England, in 2002; and the Rwandan government.  I think the best description of the project, its ideals and hopes comes from the website:

“In 1994, Rwanda experienced a genocide in which approximately one million Rwandans were killed. Through the establishment of the Kigali Public Library, Rwanda's first public library, it is our hope that the tools used for destruction will be replaced with tools of knowledge. Successful completion of this monumental effort will mark a watershed in Rwanda's history, finally providing unfettered access to a treasure trove of knowledge that has so far been unavailable to a population of over eight million people. The library - a sanctuary for knowledge and a forum for the free exchange of ideas - will also be a monument to serve as a permanent reminder to all Rwandans and the rest of the world that the atrocities committed in 1994 will never be forgotten.”

As someone who loves books and libraries, I cannot imagine life without access to either.  I read constantly, talk about books anywhere at any time, and pass along my favorites whenever I can.  The idea of bringing a library to a country that has never had one thrills me beyond words.  Add to that the fact this country endured a horrendous tragedy which did not destroy it, but made it more united.  And finally we’ll be traveling to a country, in fact a continent, I’ve never visited and know little about.  So, it’s all good.

You might wonder how we got involved in this project.  Here’s the answer.  Marty, as former Fulbright recipient, placed his name on the list for a short term (1-3 months) Fulbright.  In February, we were notified of the position in Rwanda.  Now beyond two films, Gorillas in the Mist and Hotel Rwanda, neither of us knew much about the country.  After checking out the U.S. State’s Department’s website, which assured us we could safely travel to Rwanda, we applied and were accepted. 

Next post:  Getting ready for the trip.

P.S. Kudos to Sean for the name of the blog.  I could never have come up with such a clever name on my own!